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SPORTS Monday 30 January 2017

Simmonds, Gretzky engineer Metropolitans’ All-Star Game win

GREG BEACHAM
AP Hockey Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) —
Wayne Simmonds scored
the tiebreaking goal with
4:58 to play, and fill-in
coach Wayne Gretzky led
the Metropolitan Division
to a 4-3 victory over the
Pacific Division on Sun-
day in the final match of
the revamped NHL All-Star
Game.
Columbus’ Cam Atkinson
scored the tying goal for
the Metropolitans in the
four-team, 3-on-3 divisional
tournament format intro-
duced to the midseason
classic last season. Wash-
ington goalie Braden Holt-
by then made several big
saves to secure the win for
his 11-man team, which will
split a $1 million prize.
Simmonds, the Flyers’ first-
time All-Star, was named
the game’s MVP after
he put the Metropolitans
ahead. The goal complet-
ed a hat trick for the former
Kings forward, who is still
well-liked in Los Angeles af-
ter he was traded to Phila-
delphia in 2011. Metropolitan Division’s Wayne Simmonds, right, of the Philadelphia Flyers, scores against Atlantic Division goalie Carey Price, of the
Simmonds and Atkinson, a Montreal Canadiens, during the NHL hockey All-Star game, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017, in Los Angeles.
late addition to the team, Associated Press
scored three goals apiece.
But the game was second-
ary when the NHL’s best ties due to an ailing dog. The Pacific beat the Black- parallel careers in Pitts- porting cast got the job
gathered on a 72-degree The Great One even hawk-dominated Central burgh and Washington, done.
day in Hollywood. played a significant role in Division team 10-3 in the were teammates on the The Metropolitans scored
A sellout crowd at Staples the outcome: first 20-minute semifinal, Metropolitan team for the three goals in 19 seconds
Center cheered the first All- Gretzky challenged an ap- and the Metropolitan team first time in a decade since during their semifinal, in-
Star Game for Connor Mc- parent goal by the Pacific beat the Atlantic 10-6 in they teamed up in the 2007 cluding two goals five sec-
David, Auston Matthews, in the final minutes and got the second. All-Star Game. onds apart by Seth Jones
Patrik Laine and a host of it successfully taken off the The Pacific won last year in McDavid scored one of the and Taylor Hall.
young talent. board when McDavid was Nashville in the first edition afternoon’s best goals early The Atlantic Division team
It was also just the second ruled offside. of the open-ice format de- in the third when he slipped won Saturday’s Skills Com-
All-Star appearance by The All-Stars got an addi- signed to inject excitement behind the Metropolitan petition and got to choose
Sidney Crosby, who hadn’t tional thrill before the game and goal-scoring a some- defense, got a pinpoint its opponent for Sunday,
been healthy for the game when roughly half of the times staid exercise. long pass from Anaheim’s but choosing the Metro-
since 2007. 100 greatest players in NHL The formula worked again Ryan Kesler and beat Co- politan didn’t work so well.
Crosby and Alex Ovech- history stood in a line on the at Staples Center, but the lumbus’ Sergei Bobrovsky’s Even pulling goalie Tuukka
kin were played together ice and shook hands with two finalists tightened up poke check with a nimble Rask with 2:55 to play and
by Gretzky, who stepped the current players during their defense with real stop and a push shot while a three-goal deficit only
in to coach the Metropoli- introductions. money on the line in the fi- falling to his knees. led to an empty-netter by
tan team when Columbus’ The greats then dropped nal minutes. While Crosby and Ovech- Atkinson, the last All-Star
John Tortorella couldn’t at- a ceremonial first puck for Crosby and Ovechkin, the kin are arguably hockey’s picked after Evgeni Malkin
tend the weekend festivi- each of the 44 All-Stars. long-standing rivals with two biggest stars, their sup- dropped out.q